Poetry for Poetry's Sake / An Inaugural Lecture Delivered on June 5, 1901

Name: Poetry for Poetry's Sake / An Inaugural Lecture Delivered on June 5, 1901
Author: A. C. Bradley

By A. C. Bradley

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About This Book

The lecture argues that poetic experience—the sequence of sounds, images, thoughts, and emotions that a poem produces—has intrinsic value apart from moral, instructive, or practical ends. It maintains that metrical form is integral to that experience and warns that insisting on ulterior purposes can diminish poetic worth. Poetry and everyday life are related but distinct: poetry creates an autonomous imaginative world that must be entered on its own terms. The speaker cautions against both formalist and utilitarian misreadings and urges criticism that attends to particular poems while keeping aesthetic principles in view.

About the Author

A. C. Bradley

A. C. Bradley was a prominent British literary scholar and critic, best known for his insightful analyses of Shakespearean tragedy. His influential work, "Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth," explores the complexities of Shakespeare's characters and themes, establishing him as a key figure in literary criticism. In addition to his lectures, Bradley contributed to the understanding of poetry through his writings, including "Oxford Lectures on Poetry" and the inaugural lecture "Poetry for Poetry's Sake." His scholarly approach and eloquent prose have left a lasting impact on the study of English literature.